{ Chicago-dog days of summer }

Chicago can be weatherly cruel, oh yes, it can stab you in the back many times with its bipolar moodiness, but by the middle of August, through September and sometimes - if kind enough, and slightly distracted perhaps- through October, it will cuddle you in its sunny glory. These are the golden days the city's crammed population lives for, waits for ten months just to witness these dog days of summer, really, Chicago ethos. We have enjoyed a great deal of this late summer, or what westerners would call the Indian summer, simply golden times.

On these days, it feels like a sin to stay at home, it is literally like the city is injected with some custom guilt feeling to "better go out enjoy it". Since, I cannot deal with any guilty feelings additionally to my regular ones, we usually venture out. Most days we don't have a plan, we never know where to go so we let the city tell us what to do, hola indecisiveness! We let it guide us through each weekend, sort of like: zoo is crowded today, keep on driving and do the downtown stuff, or this festival waves its entry fee, go hit it up and be squished in the crowds, but for free. That is us, and the city, that is how we roll these days.

The incredible change this year that won't last long, yet felt pretty great while it did, was our complete lack of stuff to haul, we don't pack anything, we just leave the house... How did we get there? How did we arrive at the place where there is three of us and we just put on shoes and leave? There is no need for diaper bags, snacks are not mandatory as we can buy something anywhere, in fact, it makes it more fun to do so, no strollers, baby carriers, nothing... We have a big boy now, he explores the city with u, he even knows how to use a public restroom sans sitting and will voluntarily wash his hands afterwards, we are winning at life currently... For a few more days, until we need a mule to tag half of our household with us, but these last days of just the three of us, independent people, are pretty great, it is pretty great to see Simon like this, I tap myself on the shoulder and say, I got this one this far, I think I can manage the next one somehow...

Last weekend, we decided to let Simon explore the new Chicago attraction, located right in the heart of the city, Maggie Daley park. Created with the thought "for big and small, fun for all", the park is huge and even the elder can find spots to play. In fact, according to some news outlets there are areas of the park too extreme even for the parents, as many injuries are reported. It looks like the attraction has been created for kids, adults and extreme sports enthusiasts. But aside from that, it is a mustsee and a muststop for all toddlers and kids in the city, visiting the city or even driving through the city - well, in their car seats obviously, not driving driving.... The place is of course obnoxiously crowded and busy all the time, but that is it, I said it, I said it, during the Chicago-dog days of summer everyone is out. The pathways leading up to the park remind me of little ant alleys constantly pumping ant-people in, but the park is really of no small size since all load up and there is not backups and everyone just flows right in and doesn't bounce back or anything... It is cool like that!

We plan to squeeze this city like a lemon till it freezes again and hibernates, but yes shortly we will need a mule to help with that.